###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
#%***~,,,, ,,,,~***%#
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
¤**~~,,,,, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,,,,,~~**¤
###¤%**~~, ####,~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~,#### ,~~**%¤###
#¤*~~~~,,, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,,,~~~~*¤#
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
#¤%**~,,,, ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ,,,,~**%¤#
#¤*~,,,,,, LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ,,,,,,~*¤#
##¤¤%**~~, OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ,~~**%¤¤##
¤*~,,,,,,, ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ,,,,,,,~*¤
###¤%**~~, BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ,~~**%¤###
¤%**~~~~~, SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ,~~~~~**%¤
#¤¤¤%**~~, INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ,~~**%¤¤¤#
¤%*~~,,,,, ANTENNA ARRAYS ,,,,,~~*%¤
###¤%**~~, WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ,~~**%¤###
¤%*~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~*%¤
¤*~~~,,,,, WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE ,,,,,~~~*¤
###¤%**~~, SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS ,~~**%¤###
##%%*~~~~, PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR ,~~~~*%%##
####¤**~~, GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, ,~~**¤####
###¤%**~~, AND ~OUR~ LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE ,~~**%¤###
#¤%%%**~~, GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS ,~~**%%%¤#
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA ,~~**%¤###
#¤¤¤%**~~, AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE ,~~**%¤¤¤#
###¤%**~~, AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES ,~~**%¤###
¤***~,,,,, HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT ,,,,,~***¤
####%**~~, ,~~**%####
#%*~,,,,,, AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR ,,,,,,~*%#
##¤¤%**~~, (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR ,~~**%¤¤##
###¤%**~~, RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ,~~**%¤###
¤¤¤****~~, COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ,~~****¤¤¤
¤%*~~,,,,, FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ,,,,,~~*%¤
##¤¤%**~~, BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY ,~~**%¤¤##
##¤¤%**~~, DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ,~~**%¤¤##
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
#¤%*~~,,,, NO , ONE , HAS , ANSWERED ,,,,~~*%¤#
####%**~~, ,~~**%####
###¤%**~~, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,~~**%¤###
#%**~~,,,, ####,~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~,#### ,,,,~~**%#
###¤%**~~, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,~~**%¤###
¤%*~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~*%¤
#%*~,,,,,, SO WHY IS THAT? ,,,,,,~*%#
¤¤**~~~,,, ,,,~~~**¤¤
##%*~~,,,, MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ,,,,~~*%##
##%****~~, THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ,~~****%##
###¤%**~~, A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ,~~**%¤###
#¤%*~,,,,, PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ,,,,,~*%¤#
##%**~,,,, DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ,,,,~**%##
###¤%**~~, HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
#¤****~,,, BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ,,,~****¤#
###¤%**~~, DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ,~~**%¤###
####%**~~, ,~~**%####
¤**~~~,,,, I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ,,,,~~~**¤
###¤%**~~, IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, SHOWS) ,~~**%¤###
#¤*~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~*¤#
¤¤**~~~~~, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,~~~~~**¤¤
¤%****~~,, ####,~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~,#### ,,~~****%¤
¤%*~,,,,,, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,,,,,,~*%¤
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ,~~**%¤###
¤***~~~,,, THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ,,,~~~***¤
###¤%**~~, FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
##¤¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤¤##
###¤%**~~, ,~~**%¤###
¤*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*¤